DNA/RNA switches: from nanomechanics to gene regulation

Dr. Hervé Isambert, CNRS, Institut Curie

The relative simplicity of DNA/RNA watson-crick interactions andintermediate kinetic range of base pairing dynamics (0.1ms) make itpossible to design DNA switches under folding kinetic control (t<0.1ms)and RNA switches under transcriptional control (t>0.1ms).This has implications from the design of nanomechanical switchesmade of DNA to the analysis of bacterial gene expression undertranscriptional control.